This invention relates to a network control device and method including network control software.
In recent years local area networks (LAN) for connecting computers together have become widespread. These type of local area networks are capable of connecting computers in the same floor of a building or the entire building, a group of buildings, a district or even larger areas and can even connect to networks on a worldwide scale. Each of these mutually connected local area networks (LAN) may utilize diverse hardware connection technology or a plurality of network protocol.
Other isolated local area networks (LAN) of simple structure can be supervised by individual users. In other words, the user can replace equipment, install software and diagnose problems.
However, large-scale complex LAN and large, mutually interconnected LAN groups require management referred to here as "Management". This "Management" means both a person to act as the network administrator and the software used by the network administrator. In this document, the term "management" signifies control utilizing software to manage the entire system, and the term "user" signifies the person utilizing the network control software. The user usually acts as the system control administrator. The user can make use of the network control software to obtain control data on the network and change this data.
Large-scale network systems are usually required to be active systems that must constantly perform equipment expansion or removal, software updating and problem detection, etc. Generally, such systems are owned by various persons or exist as various systems supplied by various operators.
Hereafter, the handling of the password as well as the password set in the network device during start-up in the network management program of the conventional art will be described.
When for instance a network management program is started up on a personal computer (PC) connected to a network, and the user selects a desired printer from among a plurality of printers capable of information acquisition and settings by means of this network management program that was started up; the device password information stored in the network board (NB) connected to the selected printer is then acquired. Whether or not a device password was set is determined based on this acquired device password information and when a device password has in fact been set, this device password is input in order to allow acquisition and settings of printer and network board (NB) information from the network management program. In this way, whether or not the device password acquired from the printer, and the device password entered by the user match each other can be determined. When the two passwords match, detailed information acquisition and settings for this printer are performed. However, when the two passwords do not match, the program stands by for entry of the correct device password by the user.
When device password information for this selected printer has not been set, a decision is made from information instructions as to whether to set this password and password setting is then made if in fact determined that the password must be set.
The network management program of the conventional art as explained above, therefore sets a password during start-up of the management program in order to maintain security and the setting of a password for a network device to be controlled is the general practice in such cases.
However, in this network management program of the conventional art, the password needed at start-up of this network management program and the password for the network device to be controlled were separate entities so that when acquiring information and making settings for a network device that was selected for control, a password had to be entered which was identical to that set for the network device to be controlled. This process impeded improved operability of the network management program.
Also, in this network management program of the conventional art, due to the need for security a password had to be set for all network devices subject to control. For the user of the network management program control of numerous network devices therefore involved a big load in terms of password settings and their instructions.
Further, this network management program of the conventional art is configured when used with large-scale networks so that a user sets a controller mode (an administrator mode) for the device and the user is then connected to the network and these device settings are also capable of being changed. Accordingly, if for instance a plurality of users are connected on the network simultaneously to access one device, then a situation will likely occur where those device settings are changed. Under such circumstances, with a plurality of users mutually making diverse settings, setting conflicts are easily prone to occur resulting in problems or breakdowns in the operation of that device.